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Copyright 1994 by the Christian Research Institute.
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"Book Reviews" (a column of the Christian Research Journal,
Fall 1990, page 36) by Brian Onken and Ron Rhodes.
   The Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Research Journal is Elliot
Miller.

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*A Summary Critique*


*The Gift of Prophecy In the New Testament and Today* by Wayne
Grudem (Crossway Books, 1988)


    Prophecy. In almost any church where the word comes up,
controversy exists. What is the gift of prophecy referred to in
the New Testament? Is it available to the church today? If so,
how is it to be exercised? These are some of the basic questions
dealt with in Wayne Grudem's _The Gift of Prophecy in the New
Testament and Today._

    Dr. Wayne Grudem is a well-respected evangelical scholar,
currently Associate Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology
at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Building on the work he
did for his doctoral dissertation, he has prepared a readable
discussion of the gift of prophecy. In an open, frank way, he
deals with the questions surrounding the controversy and offers
some fresh insight.


*THE BASIC PREMISE*

    The foundational premise of Grudem's work is that _the
exercise of the gift of prophecy in the New Testament church
entails reporting in human words something that God spontaneously
brings to the mind of the believer._ He distinguishes the
exercise of this gift from the activity of both the Old Testament
prophets and the New Testament apostles -- attributing to these
two groups a unique authority as those who brought "God's very
words." Basically, his view is that

     there can be a "revelation" from the Holy Spirit to a
     person or persons, and also a spoken response to that
     revelation which can have "impaired validity" and
     "unreliability." That is really the essence of what I am
     arguing for in this book, and what -- it seems to me --
     the New Testament usually calls "prophecy." But if the
     _concept_ be admitted even if it is called not "prophecy"
     but "an unreliable human speech-act in response to a
     revelation from the Holy Spirit," there does not seem to
     be much difference in our understanding at this point (p.
     95).

    Grudem therefore advocates two _levels_ of inspiration and
authority. He is clear -- at least in his mind -- that he is not
advocating two _kinds_ of prophecy, but rather differences in
"the type of authority which attaches to the words spoken in the
prophecy."[1]

    He builds his case on a few well-defined themes. These core
concepts are: (1) the New Testament apostles and the Old
Testament prophets are counterparts, sharing the same status and
authority. (2) These two inspired groups spoke "the very words of
God" and provided us with the Scriptures. (3) Those who exercised
the gift of prophecy as described in the New Testament spoke
something _less_ than "the very words of God."

    The first two chapters rally the evidence to prove his first
two points -- and the case is well made. Chapters three through
five offer the grounds for the third concept, but here the case
is not made quite as well. Although he succeeds to a large degree
in substantiating his position, his argumentation is sometimes
weak. This is seen in his failing to consider other
interpretations of the passages he uses to prove his point.


*SOME WEAKNESSES IN APPROACH*

    For example, one would-be proof that prophecy in the New
Testament church was less than fully authoritative is built on 1
Corinthians 14:30 -- "If a revelation is made to another sitting
by, let the first be silent" (RSV). After explaining his
understanding of how the "mechanics" of this command would be
carried out, he states that "the first prophecy might be lost for
ever and never heard by the church." From this he concludes: "If
prophets had been thought to speak the very words of God, we
would have expected Paul to show more concern for the
preservation of these words and their proclamation. If God
actually were speaking his words through a prophet to the church,
it would be important for the church to hear those words!" (p.
80).

    Yet, challenges to this view are not even considered. If the
premise of this argument is left to stand as it is -- namely,
that if "prophecy" is lost it could not have been authoritative -
- we would have to conclude that _only_ the words of Paul or the
Old Testament prophets or even Jesus that were _recorded_ were
authoritative. Were the words of Jesus that were not recorded any
less authoritative than those we have in the Gospel records?

    Additionally, why must we conclude that the portion of the
prophecy left unspoken by the first prophet -- the one required
to sit -- was hopelessly lost? Is it not possible that God could
complete the thought of the first prophet who spoke through the
words of the second? It is clear that Grudem's conclusion is not
the only way to understand Paul's words here.

    Besides discussing Paul's instructions regarding prophecy as
found in 1 Corinthians, Grudem also looks at some actual
prophecies from the Book of Acts to build his case. And, again,
he sometimes falls short of building his case completely. One
such instance is in his discussion of Acts 21:10-11, which Grudem
entitles: "A prophecy with two small mistakes." His argument
centers on the prophet Agabus's words, where he tells Paul: "Thus
says the Holy Spirit, 'So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the
man who owns this girdle and deliver him into the hands of the
Gentiles.'"

    According to Grudem, there are two errors in this prophecy.
And because of these, he determines that Agabus's "prophecy" was
"a 'revelation' from the Holy Spirit concerning what would happen
to Paul in Jerusalem, and [that Agabus] gave a prophecy which
included his own interpretation of this revelation (and therefore
some mistakes in exact detail)" (p. 100).

    The first mistake Grudem cites is that (according to Luke's
account later in Acts) the Romans, not the Jews, bound Paul (p.
96; cf. Acts 21:33; 22:29). The second has to do with his
determination that the Jews did not deliver Paul over to the
Gentiles but that he was, in fact, rescued from the Jews by Roman
soldiers (p. 97; Acts 21:32-35).

    Though Grudem spends many pages discussing how to deal with
the "inaccuracies" of Agabus's prophecy, he overlooks some very
crucial data. Acts does contain other pertinent information about
the fulfillment of this prophecy -- including some comments by
Paul himself.

    In Paul's personal comments about his experience, he seems to
indicate that he was, in fact, a prisoner of the Jews and was
delivered over to the Romans by them (28:17; cf. 27:21).
Additionally, the centurion who "rescued" Paul wrote to Felix the
governor saying that Paul "was arrested by the Jews" (23:26-30).
Seeing that Paul himself says he had been "delivered prisoner
from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans" and the centurion's
letter confirms Paul's arrest by the Jews, it will hardly do to
say that Agabus's prophecy was in error. Clearly, "the Jews were
responsible for his being in the hands of the Romans."[2]

    It is such less-than-thorough argumentation that mars
Grudem's work. Nevertheless, even with these weak links, he
forges a chain of thought that is persuasive. Although the
argumentation has some flaws, the argument is not lost.


*OTHER ISSUES*

    The remainder of his book deals with some of the issues that
naturally follow from his premise -- such as the difference
between teaching and prophecy, the content of prophecies, the
leadership role of prophets in the church, and so forth.

    As a whole, the thoughts that Grudem offers in these latter
chapters are challenging and insightful. Yet, there are occasions
when he makes assertions that are not well substantiated. One
example will suffice.

    In discussing whether all believers could prophesy, the
author states that "gifts such as administration, teaching,
helping, giving aid and (probably) speaking in tongues could be
used at will. The believer who had one of these gifts could put
it to use at any time. But prophecy was more spontaneous and
could only be used when the prophet received a revelation. It
seems that no one had the ability to prophesy at will" (p. 210).

    This distinction between the exercise of certain gifts does
not appear to be as clear as Grudem implies. Different believers
would come to a service with different contributions to make (1
Cor. 14:26) -- whether it was a teaching, a tongue, or a
revelation. Apparently, each had received something from the Lord
that was to be offered for the edification of the body. Does
Grudem want to suggest that it would be acceptable to offer a
teaching or a prayer in tongues that was not Spirit-directed? If
not, then how is the work of the Spirit that directs the exercise
of these gifts different from that which directs the exercise of
the gift of prophecy?

    One additional concern arises from Grudem's treatment. He
appears to group together all the "revelatory" gifts; he fails to
make any distinctions between the word of wisdom, word of
knowledge, or exhortation on the one hand, and the gift of
prophecy on the other. Considering the practical and
application-oriented approach he has taken, it is unfortunate
that he did not apply himself to the task of delineating the
relationships between these gifts and prophecy, as he did with
the gift of teaching with respect to prophecy.


*WELL WORTH READING*

    The book does have several very helpful features that should
be pointed out. It was wonderful to find a section dealing with
application at the end of every chapter. In these sections Grudem
attempts to apply his insight to practical church life --
something that is often lacking in treatments of the theology of
gifts. His discussion of the duration of the gift of prophecy
beyond New Testament times was excellent; he offers a clear
argument for the perpetuity of the gifts. Also, his three
appendices -- dealing with apostleship, the canon, and the
sufficiency of Scripture -- are all helpful.

    In drawing attention to the shortcomings of this work, there
is no intent to discount its value. Dr. Grudem has done the body
of Christ a great service by providing an honest look at a
controversial subject. _The Gift of Prophecy_ is a biblical,
readable, and practical treatment of the subject. He offers
evangelical Christians who believe in the perpetuity of the gifts
a fine resource for developing a sound and workable view of
prophecy that preserves the authority of Scripture and avoids the
snare of subjectivism. His work will undoubtedly help the church
obey Paul's injunction: "Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise
prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast
to that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:19-21).


[1] It is worth noting that Graham Houston has also written a
book advocating a "two level" approach to understanding prophecy.
Unlike Grudem, Houston finds both levels in the Old Testament as
well. (cf. _Prophecy -- A Gift for Today?_ [Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1989] 27-41.)
[2] A. T. Robertson, _Word Pictures in the New Testament,_ Vol. 3
(Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1932), 486.

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*Brian Onken*, former Senior Research Consultant for Christian
Research Institute, currently serves as Associate Pastor at
Church of the Woods, Lake Arrowhead, California.
-------------


*Evangelizing the Cults* by Ronald Enroth, Editor (Servant
Publications, 1990)


    Ronald Enroth -- Professor of Sociology at Westmont College in
Santa Barbara, California and author of _The Lure of the Cults_ and
_Youth, Brain-washing, and the Extremist Cults_ -- has put together
a practical tool designed to help lay people "share Jesus with
children, parents, neighbors, and friends who are involved in a
cult."

    One reason I appreciate this book is that I -- like my
colleagues at Christian Research Institute -- believe the equipping
of lay people for the work of cult evangelism is the only way the
Christian church stands a chance of successfully reaching the cults
for Christ. Christian professionals cannot possibly evangelize the
cults alone. Enroth is therefore to be commended for his efforts in
this area.

    To accomplish his task, Enroth has assembled a group of cult
experts and has pooled their efforts to produce a nontechnical,
easy-to-understand volume. Following an introduction by Enroth are
ten chapters on cults and world religions: "Hinduism," by Mark
Albrecht; "Buddhism," by J. Isamu Yamamoto; "The New Age," by
Gordon Lewis; "The Unification Church," by James A. Beverley;
"Mormonism," by Wesley P. Walters; "The Occult," by Karen
Winterburn; "Jehovah's Witnesses," by Robert Passantino; "The Unity
School of Christianity," by Kurt Van Gorden; "Scientology," also by
Van Gorden; and "Confronting Cults Cross-Culturally," by Ruth
Tucker.

    In the introduction, Enroth is careful to point out what this
book is _not_ attempting to do: "This is not an encyclopedic
handbook on religious cults. It is not an exhaustive, in-depth
survey of the beliefs and practices of all the cults and new
religions that can be found in North America at the end of this
century. It is not aimed primarily at the Christian cult-watchers
who are actively engaged in commendable apologetic and educational
ministries. They are already familiar with most of the content of
this book"  (p.10; review manuscript).

    Rather, the purpose of the book, Enroth tells us, is "to assist
serious, caring Christians to achieve a compassionate understanding
of a sampling of contemporary cults in order to be better able to
introduce people in those groups to Jesus our Lord. Whether across
the sea or across the backyard fence, we must never forget that the
gospel presentation is about a _person;_ it is a message that
proclaims that Jesus was God become a _man,_ who was _crucified,_
then rose from the grave and now _reigns_" (p. 11).

    Keeping this purpose in mind, I especially appreciate Enroth's
comments on the nature of cult evangelism. He suggests that too
often the Christian's zeal to convert cultists takes on the
appearance of an anticult crusade. Enroth notes that we are not
called to be "cult-busters" but _agents of reconciliation_ --
"bearers of good news to those who do not know Jesus our Lord" (p.
18). He therefore suggests that when we approach cult members for
purposes of evangelism, we should view them not as individuals who
embody the full character of evil, but rather as people who are
reaching toward God: "Like Paul, we should affirm their search but
not where it has taken them" (p. 25).

    All the chapters that follow Enroth's introduction are well
written and insightful, and all will no doubt help lay people
evangelize specific cults. But as is the case with many edited
works, some chapters are noticeably better than others.

    While some of the chapters are thoroughly evangelism-oriented,
others seem _long_ on exposition and _short_ on evangelism. (By
exposition, I refer to describing the history and belief-system of
the cult and how it compares to Christianity.) Now, to be fair,
witnessing to cultists _does_ involve advancing a polemic against
the truth claims of the cult in question. Exposition is therefore
important and necessary. However, some contributors to the book
were more successful than others in achieving a balance between
examining truth claims and offering practical evangelistic
strategies and witnessing tips.

    Highest praise goes to Gordon Lewis for his chapter on
evangelizing New Agers, and Wesley P. Walters for his chapter on
evangelizing Mormons. These chapters are exceptional and are well
worth the price of the book. One gets the distinct feeling that
Lewis and Walters have had many evangelistic encounters with New
Agers and Mormons. Their witnessing tips are _specific,
well-conceived,_ and _immensely practical._

    Lewis begins by examining the appeal of New Age spirituality.
He then helps readers understand what New Agers seek, and
summarizes distinctive problems in evangelizing New Agers.
Following this, he builds an evangelistic foundation on Paul's
sermon to the Athenian pagans in Acts 17, drawing applications such
as: be observant, be concerned, be conversational, be tactful, set
apart ideas from the persons who hold them, and find something to
commend. He relates each of these applications _in a very specific
way_ to evangelizing New Agers. Having witnessed to New Agers
myself, I can attest to the relevance of his suggestions.

    Wesley Walters provides three excellent strategies for
witnessing to Mormons (maximum impact is obtained by combining the
three): (1) witnessing with the Bible; (2) witnessing with the Book
of Mormon (pointing to how the Book of Mormon is at odds with
present-day Mormon teaching); and (3) witnessing through
contradictions (for example, pointing to changes Joseph Smith made
in his own "revelations"). Each strategy is thoughtfully developed
and is based on thorough field-testing. Walters also provides a
helpful glossary of terminology differences between Christianity
and Mormonism. This chapter is one of the best summaries on
witnessing to Mormons I have read.

    Karen Winterburn's chapter is also noteworthy. She offers a
unique discussion of occultism that is a mix of personal testimony,
exposition, and witnessing tips. Karen's testimony as a former
occultist is an exciting one, and her testimonial approach in this
chapter enables one to "get inside" a former occultist's head.

    Chapters that are more expositional but still include some
helpful witnessing tips are those on Hinduism, the Jehovah's
Witnesses, and Scientology. These chapters evenly blend historical
background, doctrinal summary, Christian polemic against these
doctrines, and evangelistic advice. Each chapter has unique
strengths. Albrecht, for example, provides some helpful tips on
debunking "Hinduized Christianity" -- a form of Christianity that
offers an esoteric reinterpretation of the life and teachings of
Jesus. Passantino zeroes in on problem passages such as Colossians
1:15 -- a verse often used by Jehovah's Witnesses to argue that
Jesus was a created being. From a doctrinal perspective, Van Gorden
offers a solid apologetic against Scientology's view of God, man,
Jesus Christ, and salvation/reincarnation.

    Chapters that are _primarily_ expositional with _minimal_
witnessing tips include those on Buddhism, the Unity School of
Christianity, and the Unification Church. Overall, these chapters
are helpful as far as they go. Each describes the belief system of
the cult in question and each points to some major differences with
Christianity. But in varying degrees they all fall short of the
high standard set by Lewis and Walters in achieving a balance
between exposition and evangelism.

    The last chapter in the book -- "Confronting Cults
Cross-Culturally," by Ruth Tucker -- is included because, as Enroth
notes, "evangelizing the cults does not stop at our own borders"
(p. 12). By the title, I was expecting a chapter on _how_ to
confront cults cross-culturally. In reality, the chapter points us
to the _need_ to confront cults cross-culturally (i.e., by showing
how the cults have successfully penetrated other countries).
Perhaps the greatest benefit of this chapter is its implicit call
to equip Christian missionaries to recognize and counteract cult
activities in their respective mission fields.

    There are some other _minor_ criticisms, and a few examples
will suffice. Ruth Tucker seems to assume that where there is
occultism or astrology, there is the New Age movement. It is
inaccurate, however, to treat these as belonging exclusively within
the confines of the New Age movement.

    In arguing against the "divine within," Mark Albrecht says that
"although many Hindus like to cite Luke 17:21 -- 'The Kingdom of
God is within you' -- this is an inadequate translation of the
Greek and is found only in the Old King James Version" (p. 45). But
my "new" New International Version has the same translation.

    In several chapters, some of the arguments seem to lack the
substance necessary to be thoroughly convincing in an evangelistic
encounter. For example, just two short paragraphs (about 85 words)
are devoted to debunking reincarnation in Yamamoto's chapter on
Buddhism. His point that "the New Testament denies the doctrine of
reincarnation" is correct -- but the evidence to substantiate this
point is slim. So much more could be said on this issue.

    Despite small problems such as those cited above, all the
contributors offer a broad range of helpful insights on
evangelizing specific cults. Enroth and his colleagues have
provided a more-than-adequate foundation for cult evangelism -- a
witnessing aid that will assist lay people for many years to come.

                                                     --_Ron Rhodes_

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End of document, CRJ0039A.TXT (original CRI file name),
"Book Reviews"
release A, March 21, 1994
R. Poll, CRI

(A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in
the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.)

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